Although his physical appearance denied that he once played in the NFL, Pastor Ken Hutcherson, reduced by the ravages of the cancer he fought for more than a decade, looked at me as I entered the room for his men's discipleship meeting on a Monday night in early November with the eyes of his former linebacker self – he read me like he was gauging a quarterback about to take a snap.

"Hutch," sitting at the table with about two dozen men, was disarmingly gentle in his demeanor. However, one thing was certain, the leader of Antioch Bible Church in Kirkland, Wash., had the cutting edge sharpness of a sword when it came time to studying and diving deep into the word of God with his men.

Without doubt, the mightiest thought the mind can entertain is the thought of God, and the weightiest word in any language is its word for God. Thought and speech are God's gifts to creatures made in His image; these are intimately associated with Him and impossible apart from Him. It is highly significant that the first word was the Word: "And the Word was with God, and the Word was God." We may speak because God spoke. In Him word and idea are indivisible. more >>

On Wednesday, Dr. Ken Hutcherson, founding pastor of Antioch Bible Church in Kirkland, WA, passed through the gates of glory after a more than ten year battle with cancer. What you may not know is that Ken played a major role in the formation of the vision, and ultimately the church that Linda and I planted in 2001: the Mosaic Church of Central Arkansas.

It was the spring of 1993, and I had two options. After ten years of full-time ministry as a youth pastor, two dynamic churches had each invited me to join their staff teams to oversee student ministries. more >>

Global membership in the United Methodist Church passed the 12.5 million mark in 2012, reaching a record number for the denomination, according to recently released statistics.

Despite continuing its decline in the United States, the UMC maintained a trend of growth in developing countries, which greatly contributed to reaching the record number.

A UMC spokesperson provided The Christian Post with a statement from Scott Brewer, associate general secretary of the UMC General Council on Finance and Administration (GCFA). "In 2012, The United Methodist Church continued to see its greatest growth centered in Africa and the Philippines," said Brewer. "Although there are also conferences in the United States and Europe that also reported increases…the greatest growth is found in what's often referred to as the Global South." more >>

More than 3,600 people attended LifeChurch.tv's first worship services at its newest campus in Moore, Okla., and about 70 people made commitments to follow Jesus Christ last Sunday at the branch of the multisite megachurch founded 7 years ago.

Moore campus pastor Michael Metcalf told The Christian Post that the new campus was launched because of the many LifeChurch.tv worshippers living in the area.

"Many people that live in Moore, Norman, and surrounding areas were attending our South Oklahoma City campus and are passionate about making a difference in their community," said Metcalf. "Our mission is to lead people to become fully devoted followers of Christ, and we believe a campus in Moore will be a huge catalyst for reaching thousands of people in the community who don't yet know Him." more >>

(PHOTO: Wes Granberg-Michaelson)
Where have all the Christians gone? According to Pew Research, in 1900, eight out 10 Christians were living in Europe and North America. Today, the map demographics has been completely scrambled.In Latin America alone, there are 517 million Christians. In Africa, 411 million. Asia tallies 351 million. Once a global powerhouse of Christianity, Europe is home to an ever-shrinking 553 million (expected to drop to 480 million by 2050,) while Northern America has 275 million.In his new book, "From Times Square to Timbuktu: The Post-Christian West Meets the Non-Western Church," Wesley Granberg-Michaelson, the former General Secretary of the Reformed Church in America, focuses on making sense of the massive demographic shift and explores the consequences and responsibilities the Church must now face.For Granberg-Michaelson, one of those responsibilities is unity. With over 2.18 billion Christians and seemingly ever growing 44,886 denominations globally, the author empathizes that work of bringing the Body of Christ together is difficult.Yet, "the Biblical call to unity is pervasive and compelling," Granberg-Michaelson told The Christian Post.
"The Biblical passage calling Christians to unity isn't contained in a proof text here or there, but resonant throughout the Bible's message."One of the institutional impediments that would-be church unifiers have encountered is the rise of independent or non-denominational congregations."One of the weaknesses of traditional, ecumenical instruments and organizations is that they just work with denominations," said Grandberg-Michaelson. "Some of the newer models…are really trying to figure out how do we draw independent churches, especially like the growth of mega-churches around the world. How can we draw them into more of an intentional fellowship?"Granberg-Michaelson said that unity should not only be upheld as a value from high-level councils and institutions, but also should be hailed by the local church."The bottom line is that when you read the Bible, if you describe a congregation like the one I grew up in, an independent Bible-believing church, well that's an oxymoron," said Grandberg-Michaelson. "You can't be a Bible-believing church and be independent of all other churches and Christians. That's just not in the Bible. Our connections to one another are a gift and an obligation."Grandberg-Michaelson said that one of the impacts of Christianity's spread in the "Global South" has been the increased interaction that these individuals are having with American Christians, much of this exchange enabled through immigration.The author, who hails from Grand Rapids, Mich., said that a recent Sunday school assignment revealed the presence of 22 immigrant congregations in the city. Most recently, he learned of an Ethiopian congregation in the city from his cab driver.[He told me] 'We have an Ethiopian Orthodox Church on 28th Street in Grand Rapids," recounted Grandberg-Michaelson. "I said, 'How do you do your ministry?' He said 'We have a priest from Ethiopia… we support him so he can pray every day and in fact today is my day to bring him his three meals.'""This is in Grand Rapids!" Grandberg-Michaelson added.He said that the emergence of these congregations could be a significant asset for American-born Christians."The center of the Christian world has shifted and there are new voices. I'd like to think that those who have come for one reason or another from other countries into our midst, I'd like to think of them as God's missionaries," said Grandberg-Michaelson."There's one point in the book where I actually quote my friend [Emory University, Associate Professor of World Christianity,] Jehu Hanciles: 'Every Christian migrant is a potential Christian missionary,'" said Grandberg-Michaelson. "I think there is a whole new wave of Christianity that is being raised up around the world."He challenges the "self-absorbed" American church to make a concerted effort to observe and celebrate Christianity's global growth."The prospects of Christianity around the world actually look pretty good. The faith is growing, it's vibrant, it's actually pretty exciting," he said. "The questions is whether the established churches of the United States and of Europe are going to pay any attention and be a part of it." more >>

A high-octane mix of alcohol and demonic involvement caused some in his Ethiopian village to label him insane. His own family had to bind him with heavy restraints when they sought relief from a witch doctor.

"I was one of the people possessed by an evil spirit and was being tormented by the spirit of evil in this land," says Dawit. (His name is changed for his protection.) "I was also a drunk and given the nickname of 'crazy person.' My family would tie me up and take me to the witch doctor to heal me."

But his life went in an unexpected direction when a team showed the JESUS Film in his village. "He was very much touched by the love of Christ," says Gebre, with Great Commission Ministry in Ethiopia. "He cried and cried and cried and finally he received Christ." more >>